Great Ideas: Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs. Digital image. YaLibnan. 28 Feb. 2011. Web. 7 Nov. 2011. <http://www.yalibnan.com/2011/02/28/steve-jobs-is-a-biological-arab-american-with-roots-in-syria-apple/>.

     
      If one wants to talk about people with great ideas, it is impossible not to mention Steve Jobs. This man changed the world with his innovation, his passion, his ideas, and his inventions. Apple products are sold (and happily purchased) all around the globe.

    

     Interestingly enough, many of the good ideas that make his products so popular have stemmed directly from his life experiences. For example, Jobs has never included an off button on any of his handheld devices. The reason? Jobs was quoted by his biographer, Walter Isaacson, in saying, "But ever since I’ve had cancer, I’ve been thinking about it more. And I find myself believing a bit more. I kind of – maybe it’s ’cause I want to believe in an afterlife. That when you die, it doesn’t just all disappear. The wisdom you’ve accumulated. Somehow it lives on, but sometimes I think it’s just like an on-off switch. Click and you’re gone. And that’s why I don’t like putting on-off switches on Apple devices". A change seemingly so minor has actually proved to be one of the most innovative aspects of inventions like the iPod and iPad, and his customers are very thankful for it. 

       Another good idea born out of his life experience is the fact that Apple devices have as few buttons as possible (in the most recent device, the iPad's, case there are merely four small buttons). He did this because he disagreed with the idea that technology is cold and heartless. He wanted technology to be more personal. Therefore, he began using a touch interface instead of lots of buttons, so that people could feel more connected with the technology. This innovation paid off as it is another one of the most popular aspects of Apple devices.

    It is a tragedy that a man with so many good ideas and so much to offer the world has passed on so soon. His inventions may one day become obsolete but his ideas have already changed the world far too much for his legacy to ever be forgotten. From the Macintosh computer to the iPad, it is absolutely certain that Steve Jobs was full of great ideas.